Beet and Butternut Squash with Kale and Seitan (No Added Fat)

I wanted to make an easy but nutritious dinner in my pressure cooker, using frozen butternut squash and a fresh golden beet.

Ingredients

• Medium sized golden beet, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
• 1 cup of (frozen, but fresh is even better - I don't like cutting and peeling winter squashes) butternut squash in 1/2" - 3/4" cubes
• 1 carrot cut into 3/8" slices (oops, I forgot to add this!)
• 3 kale leaves, stems discarded (composted) and leaves roughly hand torn to approximately 3/4" pieces
• 1/4 t salt
• 1t of chopped ginger
• (optional) 1t of chopped jalapeno
• Vegan bouillon cube
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 medium onion cut into approximately 1/4" x 3/4" half moons (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 4 ounces (half of a 8 ounce packet) of seitan strips
• 4 finely chopped basil leaves
• 1t jerk seasoning (a mixture of hot pepper, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, and thyme)

Process

1. Butternut squash takes 8-10 minutes to cook; whole beets take 11-13 (small root) or 20-25 (large root) minutes; and onions slices (and cubes?) take only 2-3 minutes to cook in my Instant Pot under high pressure. I decided to cut the beets as listed above and use raw onions after the cooking, then cook for 9 minutes. So, I put the beet, squash, (missing carrot!), kale, salt, ginger, jalapeno, bouillon cube, and water into my Instant Pot and cooked on high pressure for 9 minutes.
2. When I was ready to serve, I let out any remaining pressure then mixed in the onion, seitan, basil, and jerk seasoning.

I also made some mashed potatoes with onion, black pepper, salt, and nutritional yeast. Cucumber with hemp seeds completed the meal.

Results

I loved the main course! I generally cook with no added fat nowadays, but the mashed potatoes could have benefited with just a bit of Earth Balance margarine.

Ideas for the future

I had forgotten, but I had wanted to add a carrot cut into 3/8" slices to the beginning of the cooking. I'll bet the sweetness and slight texture after cooking would have made it a welcome addition. Otherwise, I can't think of any improvements except possibly for using a little bit of garlic. I'll have to make this for my family when they return from India!